citizens advice wokingham

What citizens advice wokingham does

Citizens Advice Wokingham (legally Wokingham & District Citizens Advice Bureau, charity number 1027729, company number 02862148) is an independent UK charity founded in 1977 that delivers free, confidential, and impartial advice to anyone living or working in the Wokingham Borough. The organisation is a member of the national Citizens Advice federated network and serves as the statutory consumer watchdog for the energy and post industries. Its core service offering combines face-to-face drop-in sessions at offices in Wokingham (Waterford House, Erftstadt Court) and Woodley (Headley Road), a local Adviceline (0808 278 7958), email enquiry handling, and a Mobile Advice Unit that conducts outreach across the borough.

The underlying technology stack is modest and primarily operational: the Casebook case management system (used jointly as data controllers with Citizens Advice national), bespoke EntitledTo-powered benefits calculator and budgeting tools hosted on dedicated subdomains, and a third-party 24/7 ChatBot widget on the homepage. Specialist funded programmes extend the product surface, including the Foodbank Support Project (with Wokingham Foodbank/Trussell Trust), the Financial Inclusion Project (council-funded), Energywise Wokingham (funded by the Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme), and the Mobile Advice Unit (Wokingham United Charities). The organisation also signposts to national Citizens Advice helplines for consumer, debt, and benefits claims.

The revenue model is a multi-source grant and donations mix rather than commercial pricing. The primary funder is Wokingham Borough Council for the main service and Financial Inclusion Project, supplemented by Wokingham United Charities, Trussell Trust, and the Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme. Public donations are accepted via JustGiving, PayPal, easyfundraising, and the Wokingham Borough Community Lottery, alongside a corporate sponsorship programme ranging from £15 one-off donations to £35,000 to fund a full-time advice worker for a year. All advice to end clients is free. Governance is by an independent board of trustees; there is no parent company, no external investors, and no venture capital backing.

Name

citizens advice wokingham

Legal name

Wokingham & District Citizens Advice Bureau

Website

https://citizensadvicewokingham.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Citizens Advice Wokingham is an independent UK charity that delivers free, impartial advice on benefits, debt, housing, employment, and energy to residents of Wokingham Borough through offices, a Mobile Advice Unit, a telephone Adviceline, and digital self-help tools, funded primarily by Wokingham Borough Council and charitable grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community advice and social services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (62419), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)

Keywords

• Debt advice services
• Benefits advisory
• Financial inclusion support
• Consumer advocacy services
• Community outreach advice

Headquarters

HQ city

Wokingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Relies on donations from the public through JustGiving, PayPal, and other platforms. They also participate in easyfundraising and the Wokingham Borough Community Lottery.
2. Wokingham Borough Council Funding: Main service and Financial Inclusion Project funded by Wokingham Borough Council
3. Wokingham United Charities Funding: Funding for management support, benefit calculator, budgeting tool and Mobile Advice Unit
4. Trussell Trust Funding: Funding to provide Foodbank Advisers in collaboration with Wokingham Foodbank
5. Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme: Funding for Energywise Wokingham service supporting residents with energy costs and fuel poverty
6. Corporate Sponsorship: Partnerships with companies for corporate sponsorships, employee giving, cause marketing campaigns, and in-kind support

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Citizens Advice Wokingham provides free, confidential, independent and impartial advice, information and support to anyone living or working in Wokingham borough. Core subject areas include benefits claims, debt management, housing, employment rights, consumer issues and energy/fuel poverty. Services are delivered through in-person drop-in sessions, a telephone Adviceline, email enquiries, a Mobile Advice Unit, and digital self-help tools, supplemented by specialist projects such as the Foodbank Support Project, Financial Inclusion Project, and Energywise Wokingham.

Product overview

Citizens Advice Wokingham offers a multi-channel advice service combining in-person drop-in sessions at Wokingham and Woodley offices, a telephone Adviceline, email enquiries, and a growing community outreach program with a Mobile Advice Unit. The core offering is supplemented by digital self-help tools including a Benefits Calculator, Budgeting Tool, and ChatBot, all available via their website. The organisation also delivers specialist funded projects including the Foodbank Support Project, Financial Inclusion Project, and the new Energywise Wokingham service, alongside access to national Citizens Advice helplines and research and campaigns advocacy work. Together these services provide free, confidential, independent advice on benefits, debt, consumer issues, housing, and employment to residents of Wokingham Borough.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Face-to-Face Drop-in Advice Sessions
• Adviceline Telephone Service
• Email/Online Enquiry Service
• Benefits Calculator
• Budgeting Tool
• ChatBot Self-Help Tool
• Community Outreach Sessions
• Foodbank Support Project
• Financial Inclusion Project
• Energywise Wokingham
• Mobile Advice Unit
• National Helplines Access Service

Quantifiable outcome

• £1,555,535 in total financial gains for clients in 2024-25
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• Wokingham Borough CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary funder for main service and Financial Inclusion Project. Provides funding for operations, Mobile Advice Unit, and community support initiatives.
• Wokingham United CharitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding for management support, benefit calculator, budgeting tool and Mobile Advice Unit. Operates relief in need endowed fund for residents in poverty.
• Trussell TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding provided to enable Foodbank Advisers at Wokingham Foodbank. Citizens Advice Wokingham works in collaboration with Wokingham Foodbank.
• Wokingham FoodbankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Trussell Trust network. Citizens Advice provides advisers at the foodbank to offer guidance on housing, benefits, debt, employment, and grants.
• Citizens Advice (National)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational charity providing brand, Casebook management system, research support, and membership. Citizens Advice Wokingham is a member of Citizens Advice Federated Network.
• SHARE WokinghamsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnti food waste charity. Joint project with Roots Community Store at Norreys Church.
• First Days Children's CharitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal children's charity. Partner in Roots Community Store providing baby equipment, children's clothing, and school uniform support.
• Mind in BerkshiresecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides Wokingham Wellbeing Service - free one-to-one sessions for mental health and wellbeing support.
• CranstounsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivers Wokingham Domestic Abuse service for victims and children.
• The CowshedsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal charity providing adult and children's clothing, baby equipment, school uniform, and emergency support items.
• Woodley FoodbanksecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed by The Pilot Light Trust. Supports Woodley and surrounding area residents. Collections available without referral.
• Wokingham Lions ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal service organisation supporting Roots Community Store through Hardship Fund.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Citizens Advice Bracknell: Sibling local Citizens Advice in the same Berkshire region offering free, impartial advice on benefits, debt, housing and employment — directly comparable service mix and funding profile.
• Cranstoun: Delivers the Wokingham Domestic Abuse service as a partner of Citizens Advice Wokingham; comparable support-provider profile for vulnerable residents and shared referral pathways.
• Citizens Advice Reading: Direct local Citizens Advice peer serving an adjacent Berkshire borough with the same advice categories, FCA-authorised money advice, and similar face-to-face / telephone / digital delivery model.
• Mind in Berkshire: Local Mind partner that delivers the Wokingham Wellbeing Service on referral from Citizens Advice Wokingham; overlapping beneficiary base of vulnerable residents needing holistic non-medical support.

Emerging players

• Christians Against Poverty: UK debt advice charity combining face-to-face debt counselling with money coaching; overlaps with Citizens Advice Wokingham's Financial Inclusion Project and Energywise service for low-income households.

Broad incumbents

• Age UK: National charity supporting older people with benefits, debt, and housing issues; overlaps with Citizens Advice Wokingham's elderly client work, particularly around Pension Credit and Attendance Allowance claims.
• StepChange Debt Charity: National specialist debt advice charity; overlaps with Citizens Advice Wokingham's debt advisory work and competes for the same vulnerable client segments across the UK.
• Shelter: National housing and homelessness charity; comparable on the housing-advice portion of Citizens Advice Wokingham's portfolio and a potential referral destination for more complex housing cases.
• Citizens Advice (National): National umbrella body of the Citizens Advice network; provides brand, the Casebook case management system, research support, and national helplines that Citizens Advice Wokingham refers into and operates under.
• Money Advice Trust (National Debtline / Business Debtline): Operates National Debtline and Business Debtline; a key national partner and potential substitute for the debt advice Citizens Advice Wokingham delivers locally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wokinghamcab
• Instagraminstagram.com/cawokingham
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citizens-advice-wokingham

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about citizens advice wokingham